Dr Jonathan Newman
Jonathan is a research associate, in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Sussex. Before returning to academia he worked for 10 years in drug, alcohol, criminal justice and mental health services. His work examines how the mobilisation and ethics of markets are shaped by everyday business practices, forms of law and research about products and services. His research covers ethical coffee production and violence, European cannabis markets, the arms and security industries, and addiction markets. He has been published in academic journals and books, trade press, and national & international media. He has presented his research to academic conferences, trade shows, festivals and community groups.
Analytical and methodological approaches in the study of the addiction treatment markets
I am a social anthropologist interested in the perspectives of people working within different sectors using market-based models of contract and delivery. I will provide a brief history of the marketization of addiction services but focus on how contemporary treatment is framed through various models and practices of business and service delivery. This backstage picture of patient options and experiences is also shaped by political intervention, addiction research and the creative pragmatics of everyday working life. The economic is a significant, but not exclusive, factor in the marketization of addiction treatment. From this wider standpoint, I consider some theoretical and methodological approaches that could guide policy interventions. There were no funding sources for this work.